FACE
OF A COFFIN
Wood, eyes of obsidian and ivory set in bronze sockets18th Dynasty, c. 1400 BC or later

The chief purpose of ancient
Egyptian funerary rituals (including mummification) was to enable
the individual to pass from the earthly life to a new existence,
in which he or she would possess the attributes of divine beings.
The outward appearance of the transfigured dead would reflect their
new, god-like status. For this reason all images of the dead, whether
mummy-masks, anthropoid coffins or free-standing statues, were idealized,
representing the individual as eternally youthful and free from
all physical disabilities or blemishes. This face once formed part
of the lid of a mummiform coffin.

All images reproduced by permission
of the Trustees of the British Museum. Informational text provided by
the British Museum.

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